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DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’ve heard that “a calorie is a calorie” when it comes to losing weight, but can that really be true? With the number of diets out there (ketogenic, intermittent fasting, Mediterranean), I am completely overwhelmed with what I’m supposed to do.

ANSWER: Yes and no. (Isn’t that always the answer to nutrition questions?) While a calorie may be a calorie when it comes to the mathematical equation of weight loss, there’s more to it. Calories are a unit of energy. The total calories provided by a food or drink depends on the number of grams of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and/or alcohol it contains. However, the number of calories does not predict how we will feel afterwards.

For example, a 200-calorie snack of an apple with peanut butter will help you feel fuller and more satisfied than a 200-calorie snack of potato chips. The difference is not only in the composition of the food but also in its volume. The apple and peanut butter snack will provide you with fiber, fat, water and some protein. Most of these attributes are missing when it comes to chips.

Also think about volume: the apple sandwich will stretch your stomach more due to its larger size, sending that satiety signal to the brain. The 200 calories in the chips will also be digested and leave the stomach faster than the apple because they don’t need to be broken down much.

We also cannot talk about this topic without referring to health outcomes. It is well known that the composition of the diet or dietary pattern is important. A plant-based diet containing whole grains, fruits, vegetables, unsaturated fats and lean proteins provides the body with balanced nutrition that can decrease the risk of chronic diseases.

There are several ways to do this in a healthy way. Diet styles like Mediterranean, DASH and the Mayo Clinic Diet are examples of eating patterns that focus on high nutrient density and have been shown to promote positive health outcomes. This can also be achieved through a well-planned strategy. vegetarian diet. It is important to consider both your food preferences and your health concerns or goals.

So what about weight loss? This is where calories are crucial. For example, not even a Mediterranean diet guarantees weight loss if there is no caloric deficit. Olive oil and nuts are excellent sources of healthy fats, but when consumed without regard to total calorie intake, they could technically cause weight gain. Using the eating style that is best for you, consider working toward a deficit of 250 to 750 calories per day. This may include swapping your mid-afternoon snack for a piece of fruit or skipping the sweetened coffee or regular alcoholic beverage.

The body needs to burn more than it consumes to produce weight loss. While exercise will always be recommended, it’s important to remember that exercise alone is not likely to get most people to that roughly 500-calorie deficit. Most of us will have more success losing weight through dietary changes.

Most diets work because adapting your basic eating habits to fit the protocol of a specific diet will likely cause you to eat fewer calories. Good news, right? Possibly. This will only benefit someone who can follow such a diet long term. Diets that endorse or require drastic, unrealistic changes (like the cabbage soup diet) are not sustainable. And when a diet is not sustainable, weight loss will not be either.

So, start here:

1. Choose a healthy diet that fits your personal eating and health preferences.

2. Work toward a gradual calorie deficit, ideally by limiting excess (more than you need) and empty calories (that provide no nutrition).

3. Remember that a slow, steady, and sustainable approach will most likely help you reach a healthy weight. — Tara Schmidt, registered dietitian, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

(Mayo Clinic questions and answers are an educational resource and are not a substitute for regular medical care. Email a question to MayoClinicQuestions and Answers@mayo.edu. For more information visit www.mayoclinic.org.)

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